DAYTON — The RiverBlast Festival has been cut from the Five Rivers MetroParks summer event lineup. Charlie Shoemaker, executive director of MetroParks, said the family fest has “outlived its time.”

“Hopefully, people will see this as a good decision for the organization,” Shoemaker said. “We decided there has to be a better way to engage an audience in a more personal way.”

RiverBlast, a one-day festival, began in 2001 as a way to attract patrons to what was then a new downtown amenity, RiverScape.

Some 20,000 people attended the ninth annual RiverBlast held in May 2009, with many coming late in the evening for the fireworks display.

“We’re disappointed this great event won’t continue, but we certainly understand all that it takes to hold a festival like this,” Tom Biedenharn, Dayton’s director of Public Affairs, said.

The city was told of the RiverBlast cancellation in early January.

MetroParks spent about $132,000 on the summer kickoff event in 2009, Shoemaker said.

On Nov. 3, voters approved a 10-year replacement levy of 1.8 mills for MetroParks that will generate about $17.9 million annually. Shoemaker said canceling RiverBlast is part of an attempt to evolve programming and make better investments with tax dollars.

“For the kind of experience people had and the amount of resources put into RiverBlast, I wouldn’t call it a good return on our investment,” Shoemaker said.

Park district programming is evolving toward a vision of protecting the area’s natural heritage, while providing outdoor recreation and educational experiences that “inspire a lasting connection with nature.”

Shoemaker said other premier RiverScape events such as the Cityfolk Festival, the Celtic Festival, the African American Cultural Festival and the Hispanic Heritage Festival will continue.

“Those all do a good job focusing on culture and ethnic heritage,” Shoemaker said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2362

or josmith@DaytonDailyNews.com.